Classic and Retro Wigan Football Shirts

Looking back through Wigan’s home kits its safe to say the club seem to have suffered something of an identity crisis through the years. Relative new boys to the Football League (they joined in 1978), their first season out of non-league saw the side sporting blue and white stripes, although oddly this was the first time they had ever worn such a design. Prior to joining the league, the side initially sported red and white halved football shirts before settling on plain blue. Since then, the side have switched from stripes to plain blue, to white and then back to stripes again (this time, blue and black!) without ever forging a consistent visual identity on the pitch. When the side gained promotion to the Premier League in 2005 they decided to don blue and white stripes once more to symbolise the heady days of 1978. Never having firmly established a permanent home kit has also meant the lack of a regular away kit. Yellow, white, red and, on occasion, even green have all featured in Wigan’s kitbag away from home. The side’s first sponsor was Baldwin Timberlakes Motor Co in 1981, but commercially the biggest impact on the club has been, without a doubt, the involvement of Dave Whelan who purchased Wigan Athletic in 1995. Whelan’s sports shop chain, JJB, became shirt sponsors and also lent their name to the club’s new ground (although this is now known as The DW Stadium). JJB also manufactured the club kit from 2005 to 2007